February 12, 2006

8:30 p.m.

Blizzard!

Our gigs were postponed this weekend -- one house concert that was to have been today, and a two-day school songwriting workshop Monday and Tuesday. Winter has finally returned to the Northeast, after weeks and weeks of respite. The band spent a few hours doing taxes Thursday, and had a very good rehearsal Friday. I'm finally getting the hang of a guitar part Chris wrote for me, to accompany his Mandolin tune, and we came up with some stunning, signature harmonies on one of Carol's new songs.

I've been in house for two days, barring an errand or two, and it occurs to me I haven't showered since Friday. Carol and I had a conversation about the poetry project, and she really noodged me into getting on with it. When I got home I started working, and here it is 48 hours later and I'm still happily immersed. I've done research on binding options, and have decided to assemble two starter books, not one. It's making sense, and I'm writing a bunch more poems for the second book, one section of which is about being on the road.

I have been immensely happy doing this.

There is about a foot of snow outside, and the little back lot has been plowed and shoveled. I should clean my car off before the snow hardens. I need to get the mileage book out of the car anyway, for tax purposes. Maybe I'll get off my butt and do that before showering. Sometime today most of the window screens filled with blowing snow and general moisture, and became opaque, so the world outside is vague. I've put daffodils around the apartment and every now and then I get a whiff of Spring. I am connected to all the words in the English language -- those I know and those I don't know -- and I am writing more today than I have for months.

********

I got a pizza yesterday, before the snow started, from a family-run place around the corner. The daughter who rang up the order put in broccoli instead of eggplant, and when the pizza came out the error was discovered. I said it didn't matter to me. But the owner was apologetic and insisted that, because I was so nice, he would knock $3.75 off the price, bringing it to about $5. There is grace even in the pizza parlor.